The present invention relates to a pressure sensor. In particular, the invention relates to a capacitance pressure sensor having circuitry to reduce the effects of stray capacitance.
The prior art shows various solid state pressure sensors which have a deflectable diaphragm for sensing pressure. Some are capable of being formed by batch processing. It is desirable to have solid state pressure sensors made of relatively rigid materials, such as semiconductor materials.
A capacitive pressure sensor measures pressure by measuring capacitance between two capacitive plates. Pressure change appears as a change in capacitance. In a pressure sensor made from a semiconductor, stray capacitance can be introduced in capacitance measurements and cause errors in measurements. This stray capacitance arises between the plate of the capacitor and nearby semiconductor material which acts as a capacitor plate.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,612,599, issued Sep. 16, 1986, entitled "Capacitive Pressure Sensor," shows a pressure sensor formed with silicon. U.S. Pat. No. 4,800,758, issued Jan. 31, 1989, entitled "Pressure Transducer with Stress Isolation for Hard Mounting" describes a batch fabricated pressure sensor with stress isolation.